Air line oiler



July 21, 1953 wlCKENS 2,646,134

AIR LINE OILER Filed June 7, 37 2 z INVENTOR EDWARD WICKVENS BY I HIS ATTORNEY Patented July 2 1, 1953 UNITE D STATES PATENT OFFICE r 2,646,134 I AIR LINE. QILER.

Edward F. Wickens, Phillipsburg, N. J assignor to Ingersoll-Rand Company, New York, N. Y.,' a corporation of New Jersey Application June 7, 1952, Serial N 0. 292,249 7 Claims. (Cl. 1184-55) This invention relates to oiling devi=ces',,-and more particularly to an. air line oiler adapted for attachment to the supply line of pressure fluid actuated machines, as for example rock drills, for lubricating the surfaces to which such pressure fluid has access/ v One object of the invention is to avoid interruptions in the operations of such machines for Other objects will be in part obvious and in.

part pointed out hereinafter.

In. the drawings illustrating the invention and in which similar reference numerals refer to similar parts.

Figure 1 isa longitudinal sectional elevation of an oiler constructedin accordance. with the practice of. the invention,

Figure 2 is a transverse View taken through t Figure 1. on the line 2-2 looking ,in the, direction indicated by the arrows. v I

Figure 3 is. a perspective, view of. a. detail,

Figure 4 isv a view similar to Figure 1 show .g. a

modified. form of. the invention,

Figure 5 is .a transverse View. taken. through Figure 4 on the line 5-5 looking in the direction indicated by the arrows, and.

Figure 6. is a perspective view of a detail.

Referring further to the drawings. and at first more particularly to the form of the invention shown in Figures 1 to 3 inclusive, 2!] designates .the oiler comprisi gv a. casing 21, the interior of which constitutes a. reservoir'22 for oil. The

casing 2| is constructed oftwo sections which are bonded together in any suitable manner; asby brazing or welding 23, andin the end walls of the casing are apertures 24 for the accommodation of a conduit 25 which is. also permanently secured, as by brazing, to the walls of the apertures 24.. a s

The interior of the conduit .25 constitutes a passageway 26 for pressure fluid, and such pressure'fiuid is. conveyed to the passage 26. by asupply line 21 sections. of which. are shown connected 'threadedly to. the ends 28 of the conduit 25..

The. conduit 25 preferably. extends through the central portion of. the casing 2| in order. to assure oil delivery to the passageway 26in the various positions that the oiler may. assume in practice. The oil is, conveyed to the passageway bya tubular coil 29 which has its. ends 30 and 3 I embedded in the wall of the conduit 25 to register, respectively, with ports 32 and 33 that open into the interior of the passageway 25 at relatively spaced points along the length of said passageway.

The coil 29 has relatively straight portions 34 extendingoutwardly toward the end walls of the casing to merge into-loops 35 of slightly larger diameter than the conduit 25, and from the loops 35 extend diagonal portions 36 which merge into a central loop 37 that conforms substantially with the interior surface of the casing 2| against which it may bear, if desired.

Communication between the reservoir 22 and the interior 38 of the coil 29 is afforded by holes 39 which are located at spaced points along the length of the coil to admit oil into thecoil and to pass pressure fluid from the interior 38 of the coil into the reservoir. Any suitable number of holes 39 maybe formed in the coil and by locating them at a number of different radial points in the loops 3.5 and 31 at least one or several of such holes will lie beneath the surface of the oil in. any of the positions which the oiler may occupy and a constant delivery to the air stream in the passageway will be assured;

The ports 32 and 33 are valve controlled to prevent the delivery of oil into the passageway 26 during such times as the machine for which the oil is intended is idle and also to make possible' the replenishing of the oil supplyin the reservoir Without first having to cut-off the sup ply of pressure fluid to the supply line 2?. The valve serving this purpose is designated in. Itis reciprocable in the passageway 26 across the ports 32 and 33 and has an external flange ii at one end for cooperation with a shoulder 42 in the passageway 26 to limit the degree of movement o fthe valve in one direction.

A spring ring 43 seated within the conduit 25 Serves as an abutment for the end of the valve carrying the flange l I. to limit the distance which the valve 40 may move in the opposite direction. The valveis urged toward the ring 43 by a spring 44. which exerts sufiicient pressure against the opposite end of thevalve 40 to shift the valve and bears against a spring ring 45 seated within shoulder 42, a position to which the valve is to the reservoir 22 and oil flows from the reservoir are designated, respectively, 62 and 63 and are formed in the block 56. They communicate with the ends 30 and 3|, respectively, of the coil 29 and open into a bore 64 which extends entirely through the block 56 axially of the passageway 26.

The bore 64 contains a reciprocable valve 65 that has a pair of passages 66 and61 extending moved by the pressure fluid flowing therethrough and acting against the surface of the converg-- ing entry 4'! and the adjacent end of the valve which, together, constitute an; actuating sur face 52.

The casing 2i is provided with the usual opening 53 for the introduction of oil'into the reservoir 22, and said opening is normally sealed by,

a plug 54 threadedly connected to the casing and having a vent 55 midway of its threaded portion for venting the reservoir prior to the complete removal of the plug.

The operation of the device is as follows: In the absence of fluid movement within the conduit 25, as when the machine to be operated is idle, the spring 44- will hold the valve 46 against the spring ring 43. The valve will then cover the ports 3233 and prevent communication between the reservoir and the conduit. However, when a machine is set in operation the fluid flowing through the valve and acting against the actuating surface 52 will shift the valve to the position in which the flange 4i engages the shoulder 42 and the passages 56-5i will then be in registry with the ports 3236. In the new position of the valve pressure fluid will flow from the entry 4'! into the coil and through the holes 39 into the reservoir. At the same time oil will flow through the coil 29, the port 63 and the passage into the throat 48 to mingle with the pressure fluid flowing therethrough.

Whenever the supply of pressure fluid to a machine is cut-off, as at the end of an operating period, and in consequence of which fluid movev ment through the conduit of the valve ceases, the spring 44 will immediately shift the valve 40 against the spring ring 43 and again close the ports 3233 to prevent the delivery of oil into the supply line at a time when none is being used.

With the valve in the closed position it is, moreover, possible to refill the reservoir 22 without requiring the cutting-off of the supply line from the source of pressure fluid supply. This is due to the fact that when the machine using the oil is idle the ports 32 and 33,will be sealed by the valve 40 so that the plug 54 may be removed without danger of any residue of 011. in the reservoir being blown through the opening 53 to the atmosphere.

In the form of the invention shown in Figures 4 to 6 inclusive, the means serving to create the reduced pressure zone within the passageway 26 is in the form of a block 56 that extends transversely of said passageway and has a head 51 that 'municationwith the port 62. leads from the opposite end of the valve 65 to an endwise thereof for communication with the ports 62 and 63, respectively.

The passage 66 opens into the up-stream end 68 of the valve so that pressure fluid flowing through the passageway 26 will flow directly into the passage 66, and the opposite end of the said passage opens into an annular groove 69 located in the peripheral surface of the valve for com- The passage 61 and 10 are spacedapart the same distance as the ports 62'-63 so that they may be moved simultaneously' into or out of communication with the ports.

Suitable stop means are provided for limiting the range of movement of the valve. To this end a cap piece H, which is perforated to form the block in one limiting position to which the of a machine, the pressure of the fluid at all lies within an aperture 58 in the conduit 25 to which it may be secured fixedly in any suitable manner. The dimension of theblock 56 transversely of the passageway 26 is smaller than the diameter of the passageway. Its opposed sides 59 cooperate with the wall of the passageway to define restricted flow paths 6!! that operate to create a zone of reduced pressure there n and adjacent the down-stream side 6| of the block 56.

The ports through which pressure fluid" flows valve is moved by a spring 12 that encircles the opposite end portion of the valve and acts against the block 56 and an external flange 13 on the valve.

On the portion of the valve encircled by the spring 12 is'a shoulder M for engagement with the block to limit the distance'that the valve may move in the opposite direction. The valve is shifted, for effecting communication between the passageway 26 and the reservoir 22, by the pressure fluid flowing through the passageway and acting against the up-stream end of the valve which constitutes an actuating surface 15.

In the operation of this form of the invention, the valve 65 is held in the closed position by the spring 12 whenever the pressure fluid within the passageway. 26 is motionless, and when a ma- :chine operated by such pressure fluid is set in 50' operation the current induced thereby in the passageway 26 will actagainst the actuating surface l5'and shift the valve to a position in which the shoulder 14 engages the block 56. The passages 666'l will then be in communication with the'ports in. the block 56 and pressure fluid, at

line' pressure, will flow through the passage 66, the port 62 and the coil 26 into the reservoir 22 and 'will expel oil therefrom throughthe coil, the portf63'fand'the passage 6'! into the zone of reduced pressure directly forwardly of the block 56; i Q

Thevalye 65'wil1 remain in the open position as long as pressure fluid continues to flow through the passageway 26 and when such flow is discontinued, as at the end of an operating period fpoints of the passageway will be of the same v'alueand the spring "will then immediately act to return the valve to itsinitial position in which the ports 62 and, .63 will be covered and communication between the reservoir 22 and the passageway 26 will be cut-off.

' ,I claimt I I "1 An'air'line oiler, comprising a casing having a'r'eservoir for oil and a main passageway for pressure fluid, said casing having ports for admitting pressure fluid into the reservoir and oil into the passageway, a valve in the passageway having passages to afiord communication between the passageway and the ports, and an actuating surface on the valve subjected to pressure fluid flowing through the passageway for positioning the valve to place the passages into communication with the ports.

2. An air line oiler, comprising a casing having a reservoir for oil and a main passageway for pressure fluid, said casing having a port for the passage of pressure fluid intothe reservoir and having a second port for the passage of oil from the reservoir to the passageway, a reciprocatory valve in the passageway having passages to convey pressure fluid from the passageway to one port and to convey oil from the other port to the passageway, and an actuating surface on the valve subjected to pressure fluid flowing through the passageway for positioning the valve to place the passages into communication with the ports.

3. An air line oiler, comprising a casing having a reservoir for oiland a main passageway for pressure fluid, said casing having a pair of ports spaced with respect to each other along the length of the passageway for admitting pressure fluid into the reservoir and oil into the passageway, a reciprocatory valve within and extending endwise of the passageway to control the ports and having passages to register with the ports, a spring acting against the valve for holding said valve in position to cover the ports, and an actuating surface on the valve subjected to pressure fluid flowing through the passageway for positioning the valve to place the passages in communication with the ports.

l. An air line oiler, comprising a casing having a reservoir for oil and a passageway for pressure fluid, said casing having a pairof ports for admitting pressure fluid into the reservoir and for conveying oil from the reservoir, means for creating a zone of reduced pressure within the passageway, a reciprocatory valve in the passageway to control the ports having a passage to convey pressure fluid from the passageway to one of the ports and having a second passage to convey oil from the other port into such zone of reduced pressure, an actuating surface on the valve subjected to pressure fluid flowing through the passageway for positioning the valve to place the passages into communication with the ports, and a spring for positioning the valve to cover the ports.

5. An air line oiler, comprising a casing having a reservoir for oil and a passageway for pressure fluid, said casing having a pair of ports for admitting pressure fluid into the reservoir and 6 for conveying oil from the reservoir, a valve in the form of a'Venturi tube reciprocable in the passageway to control the ports and constituting a portion of the passageway, a passage in the entry portion of the tube to register with one of the ports for admitting pressure fluid from the passageway into the reservoir, 9, second passage in the tube to register with the other port for admitting oil into. the throat portion of the tube, an actuating surface on the valve subjected to pressure fluid flowing through the passageway for positioning the valve to place the passages into communication with the ports, and a spring for positioning the valve to cover the ports.

6. An air line oiler, comprising a casing having a reservoir for oil and a passageway for pressure fluid, said casing having a pair of ports spaced with respect to each other endwise of the passagewayfor admitting pressure fluid into the reservoir and for conveying oil from the reservoir, a valve reciprocable endwise of the passages way to control the ports and having passages extending part way therethrough from its ends to communicate with the ports, an actuating surface on the valve subjected to pressure fluid flowing through the passageway for positioning the valve to place the passages into communication with the ports, and a spring for positioning the valve to cover the ports.

7. An air line oiler, comprising a casing having a reservoir for oil and a passageway for pressure fluid, a member in the passageway to create a zone of reduced pressure within said passageway and having a bore extending axially of the passageway, a pair of ports in the member through one of which pressure fluid flows to the reservoir and through the other of which oil flows to the bore, a valve reciprocable in the bore to control the ports having a passage to convey pressure fluid from the passageway to one of the ports and havin a second passage to convey oil 'from the other port to such zone of reduced pressure, an actuating surface on the valve subjected to pressure fluid flowing through the passageway for positioning the valve to place the passages into communication with the ports, and a spring for positioning the valve to cover the ports.

EDWARD F. WICKENS.

References Cited in the'file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,585,457 Gillerstrom Feb. 12, 1952 2,607,441 Gillerstrom Aug. 19, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country e Date 424,387 Germany Jan. 25, 1926 

